Earl of Spencer Inn

Statement of Significance

The Earl of Spencer Inn has cultural heritage significance for the following reasons:
The place is significant as one of the oldest and still running hotels/inns in Albany having first been licenced in 1884 and operating for 40 years and again as a licenced venue since 1987.
The place was established and operated by well-known early settlers and long-standing residents in Albany, the Nesbitt family.
The place is one of the oldest buildings in Albany dating back to the early days of British settlement and one that has adapted to different uses including as a private residence, boarding house, inn and grocery store and now as a boutique pub.
The place has high aesthetic and landmark value, having been sensitively restored and refurbished in a way that has been sensitive to its original form fabric and detailing but which meets modern requirements of a licenced venue.

Physical Description

Some of the notable features of this place include:
• This section is symmetrical with a bull nosed verandah over the pavement
• Bay windows on either side of the central timber panelled door
• Gabled parapet wall
• House section has Georgian influences
• Hipped corrugated iron roof
• Rock footings
• Verandah under separate roof across front elevation
• Decorative timber posts, balustrading and trim
• Timber framed multi-paned windows
• Three large chimneys with brick capping

Some obvious modifications include:
• Bay windows appear to be a modern design
• Gable end (added as store)
• Modifications to substructure of front verandah

History

The building that became the Earl of Spencer was, according to Albany Rates Map, established c1850s. In November 1883, Richard Hawkins Nesbitt, who had moved to Albany, applied for a licence for ‘…an Eating, Boarding and Lodging House License in the shop or room which I now occupy or intend to occupy, situated in Earl Street, Albany’. [Albany Mail, 4 December 1883] Nesbitt obtained the licence and started operating the Spencer Inn, where the family also lived.

After Nesbitt’s death in 1899, his son Thomas Henry Nesbitt – who was born in Albany in 1845 - applied for and was granted the licence to sell wine, beer and other liquors in order to continue the operations of the Spencer Inn. The notice of application included a brief description of the building at the time which contained 2 sitting rooms and 4 bedrooms in addition to those rooms occupied by the Nesbitt family. Thomas was single at the time he was granted the licence but in 1901 married Catherine Sinclair and they lived at and ran the inn. They had two sons, Cyril and Harold, but Catherine sadly died young in 1906. Thomas continued to run the Spencer Inn which continued to be a popular venue for local community gatherings, celebrations and weddings as well as with international visitors.

In late 1921, despite Nesbitt’s unblemished record for more than 40 years, the recent liquor reform poll to reduce the amount of liquor licences in Albany saw the Bench deciding to cancel the Spencer Inn licence. The other licence cancelled was the York Hotel. A closing party was held on its last day of trading, being New Year’s eve 31 December 1921, during which toasts were made to Thomas Nesbitt who, it was said, had always conducted the inn in an orderly way and that the Spencer Inn which had served the community well, not only to the residents of that part of town but to the general public as a whole and the town was being unnecessarily robbed of one of its conveniences. With the inn closing, Thomas had decided to start up a grocery store business and his new shop built on to the inn was declared a great acquisition to the architecture of not only the East Ward, but to the town as a whole. [Albany Advertiser, 2 January 1922] This was called Nesbitt’s Cash Store.

In 1924, Thomas was elected onto the local Council. He was considered an ideal candidate having been born in Albany and lived there all his life and achieving a good reputation in the community through his successful businesses. He was then elected as Mayor in 1939 and served for one term. Thomas continued to live at the old inn and run his grocery store until his death in 1945 at home. The Nesbitt family continued to own the building until the late 1970s but because it was vacant the building had become dilapidated until a consortium of local businessmen decided to restore it to its former glory. At great expense and with much effort, the building was remodelled in 1987 and once again was licenced to run as an inn.

The building has been praised as an example of restoration and remodelling and has won a number of building and tourism awards, including the Albany Architectural Awards 1989 for renovated building category. The following comments from an article in The Architect sums up the achievement:
“The Earl of Spencer exhibits all the best of possible attitudes to refurbishment. It has been sensitively and creatively invigorated, not only through good design, but also through an imaginative entrepreneurial approach. “

In restoring the old building, almost no detail was overlooked, from the heraldic Griffin of the Spencers on the sign outside to the period taps in the gent’s toilet. All are authentic, accurate and Victorian. The Earl of Spencer Inn – the name of which was a combination of the street names - is now a Boutique Pub.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: High
Authenticity: High/Moderate

Condition

Good

Uses

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.